#CareerDayThrowback #TimeMachineTuesday #CareerInspiration #MiddleSchoolMemories
Are you ready to step into a time machine and visit the 8th grade version of yourself at career day? Imagine the excitement and anticipation you felt as you walked into your middle school gymnasium, surrounded by countless tables adorned with pamphlets, free pens, and eager professionals ready to share their insights about their respective careers. Now, fast forward to the present day and consider how your career aspirations have evolved since that fateful day in middle school.
Career day is a universal experience that many of us can relate to – a day filled with hopes, dreams, and perhaps a touch of naivety. If the 8th grade version of yourself could see where you are today, would they be horrified, amazed, or somewhere in between?
Let’s delve into what your 8th grade self might think about your current career path and how your journey from middle school to the present has shaped your professional identity.
##Reflecting on Middle School Memories
Do you recall the buzz of excitement that filled the air as you walked into the gym on career day? Perhaps you were drawn to the table showcasing a glamorous profession like a doctor, a pilot, or a lawyer. Or maybe you were intrigued by the idea of pursuing a creative career in the arts or entertainment industry.
As you reflect on your middle school self, think about the following questions:
1. What were your career aspirations in 8th grade?
2. Did you have a clear vision of what you wanted to be when you grew up?
3. How did your interests and passions influence your career choices at that time?
##The Evolution of Career Aspirations
Fast forward to the present day – are you living out the career dreams you had as an 8th grader? For many of us, our career paths have taken unexpected twists and turns, leading us down roads we never imagined exploring.
Consider these points as you assess how your career aspirations have evolved over the years:
– Have your interests and passions changed since middle school?
– Were there key moments or experiences that influenced your career decisions?
– How have external factors such as family expectations, societal norms, and economic considerations impacted your career choices?
##The Reality of Adulting
Now comes the moment of truth – if the 8th grade version of yourself could see where you are today, how would they react? Would they be shocked, impressed, or possibly even disappointed by your current career path?
Let’s break it down:
– **Shocked**: Your 8th grade self may be amazed by the twists and turns your career has taken since middle school. Perhaps you ended up in a completely different field than you initially envisioned, or maybe you took a leap of faith and pursued a passion that seemed out of reach at the time.
– **Impressed**: On the flip side, your younger self may be proud of the strides you’ve made in your career journey. From overcoming challenges and setbacks to achieving milestones and successes, your 8th grade self might be in awe of the person you’ve become today.
– **Disappointed**: It’s also possible that the 8th grade version of yourself would be disappointed by the direction your career has taken. Maybe you strayed from your original aspirations due to external pressures or practical considerations, leaving behind a dream that once seemed within reach.
##Embracing Your Career Journey
Ultimately, career day serves as a reminder of the aspirations, dreams, and possibilities that once fueled our ambitions as young students. While the reality of adulting may have veered us off course at times, it’s important to recognize the value of our unique career journeys and the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
As you reflect on the evolution of your career aspirations from middle school to the present day, consider the following:
– Embrace the twists and turns: Your career path may not have unfolded as planned, but each detour and pivot has contributed to your growth and evolution as a professional.
– Celebrate your achievements: Take pride in the milestones you’ve achieved and the challenges you’ve overcome on your career journey.
– Stay true to yourself: While external influences may have played a role in shaping your career choices, remember to honor your passions, interests, and values as you navigate your professional path.
In conclusion, the 8th grade version of yourself may be surprised, inspired, or even dismayed by the career path you’ve taken since middle school. However, it’s essential to embrace the twists and turns that have led you to where you are today, celebrating your achievements and staying true to yourself along the way. So, if your younger self could see you now, how would they react? Perhaps it’s time to revisit those middle school dreams and consider how far you’ve come on your unique career journey. #CareerDayReflections #CareerEvolution #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerInspiration
Very horrified, the current version of me understands reality. 8th grade version loved to live in her own world
Impressed. Nothing more to say. I’m doing more than I dreamed of doing at this age.
Not horrified but maybe surprised. I never pictured myself at an office job in a cube. But I do like my job and I like my cube.
They shouldn’t be afraid of a 66 year old grandpa with white hair. I mean the 8th grade version might be wigged out at how he’s aged. But he would really enjoy hearing about the career he went into and did well in.
I guess more confused than horrified. I was sure I would be rich and in a good job. Turns out I turned down that job for more family time.
I wasn’t aware of cannabis when I was in eighth grade. Now I sell it
He’d be pretty whelmed I’d imagine. We’d both probably would skip out on what we had to do to play some old games.
“So is this office job what we are doing after we retired from our hall of fame MLB career or what?”
Considering what i was at the time it would be quite the shock what i acomplished
Not. Happy that things worked out as well as they did. your neighbor, Harley
Not at all horrified. Im in nursing, a lot of my family is. I’ve actually done a lot better than little me every imagine and thats an uplifting thought.
8th grade me would be thrilled. I am becoming what I have always wanted to be, though I never expected I would want to be a Geophysicist!
8th grade me would be shocked that I’m alive.
In denial because I wasn’t gonna be a fat guy, I was gonna rule the world.
It depends on which of my jobs comes up. My main job as a WFH app tester would please her immensely to know about…my side gig as a life drawing model on the other hand…
Middle school me meeting adult me? Total shocker! Eighth-grade self probs horrified by the chaos of adulting. Life’s a wild ride. Career Day gone crazy.
He would probably think i was cool for sitting in my underwear drinking a beer on a Wednesday afternoon.
Little shit!
8th grade me would think I have the greatest job in the world.
He knew there was a good chance we’d be in an office, as much as neither of us is thrilled about it, because he knows it beats driving a truck.
I wouldn’t be able to go because I don’t work yet
I’d be surprised I’m doing office work, albeit successfully, but then I wouldn’t have broken my back and ruined my preferred career choices at that point.
I would like everything else though!
This is some great perspective for me, and I thank you for it, because 8th grade me would be stoked out of his fucking gourd that I’m currently living in Tokyo. Yeah, the job doesn’t pay enough, and I don’t think there’s a future in it, and I’m worried about getting my visa renewed, and I eat garbage every day because my tiny, 60K yen apartment doesn’t have a kitchen, but I definitely am here. That middle school weeb would be so jealous.
Yeah, I don’t even talk about it.
Somewhat disappointed but also fairly appeased. I’m not exactly where I hoped to be by now, but my job does align pretty well with the ideals of what I wanted to do, it’s not too difficult and the pay is decent.
I’m a college professor with a PhD in history and, you know, choosing a guy’s name to go by instead of the name your mother gave you is, like, a thing you can just do if you want. 8th grade me is THRILLED.
I feel like that would be the reality check I needed back then. I don’t regret my life because I have a beautiful family and I’m only 26 but I wish I’d set myself up for success instead of having to compensate for it all now
I think 8th grade me would be shocked to know how I went from hating chemistry to working in a chemistry lab.
Horrified. Life hasnt been kind these past few years.
8th grade was the last year I thought being an artist might be a viable career so I’d probably be pretty disappointed that I don’t do much art as an adult. I am making good money with a partner that I adore and my transition went incredibly well and 8th grade me couldn’t conceptualize life past 18 so I honestly think meeting adult me would absolutely change 8th grade me’s life for the better in very important ways.
Maybe not horrified, but extremely confused. Back then, I thought I was a boy and had no ambition for the future whatsoever. Now, I’m a 31 year old goth trans woman online sex worker and author.
Mortified to my little 8th grade core. My biggest career related fear as a kid was ending up in the office.
Spoiler: I am in the office.
I think 8th grade me would be pretty happy.
I mean, I’m definitely more financially successful than I expected. I have an amazing partner and I’m starting at our dream school in the fall for a graduate degree.
On the other hand, the gender transition might throw off the hyper conservative school I was attending in 8th grade. But 8th grade me would be like “Oh so much makes sense now.”
He wanted to be a scientist, I am a scientist, however he is going to realize its all paperwork and bullshit.
8th grade me was deeply depressed, she definitely didn’t think we’d make it to 18 much less 28. I see the fact that I’m employed as a total win. We’re killing it little me!
8th grade version of me was in a family that was always worried about money because the business was always sucking up all the cash. 8th grade version of me will be happy to know it’s all working out and the business is doing great.
he’d be surprised but probably stoked
In 8th grade I really wanted to be a conservationist in the same vein as Steve Irwin, and I ended up being an astrophysicist lol
Indifferent. I could be a loser, but 8th grade me was a bigger loser
I don’t think I’d be ashamed. I’m doing the same thing my dad is doing and what he taught me. Surveying.
8th grade me had given up on life and was unsure if I would make it to 18. So that would be the big shock. “You mean I actually… grow up and move out? And have fun at college and my mental health improves when I start working? What?”
9th grade me would be shocked that I gave up my passion for biology and agreed with my father that I would make a good programmer.
8th grade me is going to think I’m awesome. *The parents of 8th grade me* are going to absolutely flip out that I didn’t become a doctor.
Honestly 8th grade version of me would probably be relived to see that I am alive.
Man, I grew up in extreme poverty. We’re talking the rural kind. One room house with a microwave a dorm fridge and a crock pot, no running water, dad (disabled Vietnam vet who wasn’t able to get full VA disability until after I left the house) slept on a recliner I slept on a cot, mom not in the picture due to divorce, substance abuse, and prison…
I stumbled my way into a state school and stumbled my way through a BBA in finance. I stumbled my way into a job that didn’t workout then got a pretty decent job at a bank where I began to thrive but realized if I wanted to go further and get into the career I wanted, I’d need to go back to school for my MBA and needed to pursue my CFA.
Stumbled my way into another state school and absolutely crushed graduate school and the first two levels of the CFA. Found a phenomenal job in M&A that fit me like a glove, passed the third level of the CFA in my first year at the job, and have been at the company for almost 18 years now, leading the division I started in, taking over for a Harvard MBA.
And, for some unknown reason, growing up I just assumed it would work out the way it has which I had no business whatsoever thinking.
So, I think 8th grade me would be proud but not surprised.
I was so afraid at that age about having to learn to drive. I think she’d be horrified to find out that I drive all day but glad we figured something out.
“People… will listen to me??? and value my ideas?”
Unless people were really stuck, no one listened to my ideas in school and I wasn’t the cool kid.
Well I’m unemployed so we’re both probably trying to figure out what the fuck I’m doing at career day